Heavy Loot Bags Store Robbery Suspect

A Chicago man accused of holding up a north suburban department store Sunday night literally came away with more than he could handle, police said.

Harry Williams, 20, of 1360 W. Touhy Ave., Chicago, was arrested in the parking lot of the Montgomery Ward & Co. store in Niles, dragging a bag of stolen cash that apparently was too heavy for him to lift, said Sgt. Roger Wilson of the Niles Police Department.

FOR THE RECORD - Additional material published Dec. 27, 1996:Corrections and clarifications.A story in Tuesday's Metro section contained an incorrect address of the suspect in a robbery in Niles. Harry Williams, 20, lives at 8704 Gregory in Des Plaines. The Tribune regrets the error.

Police said Williams, a former employee of the store, at 5601 Touhy Ave., had hidden in a store bathroom until after closing time.

Williams, wearing a black ski mask and brandishing a BB gun, emerged, confronted the store manager and other employees and forced them to fill his sack with money, Wilson said. Williams then allegedly forced the manager to bind the others with duct tape.

Another employee witnessed the holdup and called police. When officers from Skokie and Niles arrived at the scene, they found Williams struggling with the sack of cash, Wilson said.

After a short chase in the parking lot, officers apprehended Williams and found he also had a 12-inch knife tucked in his belt, according to reports. Williams was charged with armed robbery, aggravated robbery and aggravated battery, police said.

Wilson said he neither knew how much cash was in the bag, nor how much it weighed.